Asia's Fuel Oil Discount Widens as China Refiners Raise Processing Rates
The discount of fuel oil produced in Asia to benchmark crude prices widened after a report that China’s output of the product climbed last month, raising concerns of oversupply.
Fuel Oil
Fuel oil’s discount to Persian Gulf benchmark Dubai crude, a measure of refining profitability, widened to $7.70 a barrel in Singapore at 11:36 a.m. from $7.18 yesterday, according to data from PVM Oil Associates Ltd., a brokerage. The discount reached $8.02 on Nov. 4. Swaps for 180-centistoke fuel oil rose $2.50 to $512.50 a metric ton.
China’s oil processing climbed to a record last month after refiners increased production to ease a domestic fuel shortage.
Plants processed 37 million metric tons, or 8.8 million barrels a day, in October, up 12 percent from a year earlier, China Mainland Marketing Research Co., which compiles data for the National Bureau of Statistics, said in a statement from Beijing today. This exceeded June’s 8.6 million barrels a day.
Fuel oil output in October surged 15 percent to 1.9 million tons, or about 377,000 barrels a day, Mainland Marketing said.
Middle Distillates
Gasoil’s premium to Dubai crude, or the crack spread, narrowed 91 cents to $13.15 a barrel, according to data from PVM. The spread was at $14.06 yesterday, the highest since Aug. 3. The product’s swaps for December was unchanged at $99.70 a barrel in Singapore.
Jet fuel’s premium to gasoil was unchanged at $1.35 a barrel, PVM said. The price reached $1.40 on Nov. 1. The so- called regrade indicates the profitability of producing aviation fuel and kerosene compared with diesel.
Naphtha
Japan’s benchmark open-specification naphtha forward contracts for first-half January delivery were bid at $814 a metric ton against offers at $817, according to brokerage Ginga Petroleum Singapore Pte. Second-half January cargoes were bid at $808 a ton compared with offers at $811, Ginga data showed.
Prices for January delivery were at $805.50 a ton yesterday, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
To contact the reporter on this story: Christian Schmollinger in Singapore at christian.s@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jane, Ching Shen Lee at jalee@bloomberg.net
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